ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 looks at a key dimension of the role of the professional translator as a service provider. It opens with a discussion of the implications of seeing professional translators as service providers who constantly need to review and/or expand their client base, notably in terms of relationship management. To that end, it introduces readers to the importance of developing a clear, emotionally intelligent communication strategy that creates and then maintains trust with clients. This strategy, it argues, should be based on a good understanding of clients’ needs and requirements as well as the ability to guide and advise clients who come to the translator with unrealistic and/or unclear commissions due to a limited understanding of what professional translating involves. Given that professional translators regularly have to deal with clients from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, readers are also invited to reflect on their own intercultural competence in the context of professional translation. This chapter then moves on to discuss the high levels of professionalism that can be expected of them when dealing with clients, not least concerning client confidentiality and data security. Finally, the last part of this chapter aims to help readers build their professional resilience by inviting them to start thinking about some worst-case scenarios when dealing with clients (e.g. negative client feedback, non-payments, litigation) while introducing them to potential resources they could draw upon.
